Releasing device for car-couplings.



S. H. CAMPBELL.

RELEASING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLINGS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN, 7. 1916.

1,226,859; v Patented May 22, 1917.

WITNE8SES: uwE/vron m4, S.H.Campbell. 744 a W ENE Y STERLING H. CAMPBELL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

' nELnAsme DEVICE FOR can-COUPLINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1917.

Application filed January 7, 1916. Serial No. 70,782.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STERLING H. CAMP- BELL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at the city of St; Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Releasing Device for Car- Couplings, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a releasing device for car couplers, and has for its object the production of a simple and efiicient device, in which the, connecting members may be applied to or detached from the operating rod and knuckle-lock when the rod is disengaged from the car, butwhich, at the same time, will prevent the separation of the partsby the relative movement of the car and coupler-head when the parts are in their normal position on the car.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one form of releasing device made in accordance with my invention, together with a portion of a railway car to which the same is attached, Figure 1 is a top plan view; Fig. 2 is an enlarged, detail view of some of the parts shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front view and Fig. 4 is a side view.

Like marks of reference refer to similar parts in the several views of the drawing.

5 represents a railway car provided with a striking-block 6 .and a vertical plane couplerhead 7. The coupler-head 7 is provided with the usual knuckle 8 pivoted at 9. and controlled by the knuckle-lock 10. The knuckle-lock 10 is of the non-rotatable type and is provided with an eye 11, formed integral therewith. 12 and 13 are bearings secured to the car body and the striln'ng-block 6 respectively. Mounted in the bearings 12 and 13 isan operating rod14 provided at one end with a handle 15 and at the other with an arm 16, having formed integraltherewith an eye 17 In order to connect the arm 16 and the knuckle-lock 1( I provide a single connecting member or link, the body of which is preferably formed of a circular rod of metal. Formed on the lower end of the body 18 is a loop 19, preferably substantially circular in form. The end 20 of this loop 19 over-laps the body 18 of the link, but is arranged at a suflicient distance therefrom to and help to support the link in vertical position when the parts are in lock-set position. The upper end of the link is provided with a loop 21, the end 22 of which over-laps the body 19 of the link, but is arranged at a sufiicient distance therefrom to allow of the insertion of the end into the eye 17, formed on the arm 16 of the operating rod 14. It will be noted that the body of the loop 21 is arranged at an angle to the body of the link 18, and also that it is arranged out of a plane passing through the arm 16; furthermore the length of the loop 21 is greater than the internal width of the eye 17 so that a disengagement of the parts through any relative movement of the coupler-head of the car will be prevented.

The operation of my device will be evident from the above description. When the operating rod 1 1 is removed from its bearings 12 and 13, the link 18 can be inserted into the eyes 11 and 17, or disengaged therefrom without in any Way bending or distorting any of the parts. Owing to the fact that the loop 19 at the lower end of the link is a complete loop, the end of which extends below the top of the loop, it is not possible to insert the loop in the eye 11 by rotary motion on the axis of the body of the link; on the contrary, the said loop can only be inserted in the eye by a pivoted movement of the link around an axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of the loop. hen, however, the parts are in position upon the car it will be impossible to disconnect the link 18 either from the knuckle-lock 10 or from the operating rod 14.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The combination with a railway car, of a coupler head carried thereby, a knucklelock for said coupler head provided with an eye, an actuating rod, and a link connected to said rod, said link having a bend formed in its lower part, the end of said bend being extended 'to form a complete loop open for the reception of the eye of the knuckle-lock, and the smallest over-all dimension of the loop being greater than any dimension of the eye, whereby said link can only be engaged with the eye of the knuckle-lock by a pivotal movement about an axls substantially perpendicular to the plane of the loop.

2. The combination with a railwa car, of a coupler head carried thereby, a ucklelock for said coupler head provided with an eye, an actuating rod, and a link, provided at its upper part with a complete loop open to receive the eye of the actuating rod, the lower part .of said link having formed therein a bend, the end of said bend being extended to form a complete loop open to receive the eye of the knuckle-lock, and the smallest over-all dimension of the loop being greater than any dimension of the eye, whereby said link can only be engaged with the eye of the knuckle-lock by a pivotal movement around an axis substantially perpendicular to the plane ofthe knuckle-lock.

3. The combination with a railway car, of a coupler head carried thereby, a knucklelock for said coupler head provided with an eye, an actuating rod, a link provided at its upper part with an elongated and complete loop open to receive the eye of the actuating rod, the lower'part ofsaid linkbeing provided with a bend, the end of said bend being extended to form a complete loop open to receive the eye of the knuckle-lock, and the smallest over-all dimension of the loop being greater than any dimension of the eye, whereby said link can only be engaged with the eye of the'knuckle-lock by a pivotal movement around an axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of the loop.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a coupler, alocking-pin therefor provided with an eye, a pin-actuating member, and a link for connecting the said member to the locking-pin, said link having an open loop at its lower end to rece ve and engage with the e e of the pin, said loop portion being provi ed with an ex tension so positioned and dimensioned that a .pivotal movement of the link with relation to the eye of the pin as the center of such movement is necessary to remove the loop from the eye.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a coupler, a locking-pin therefor provided with an eye, a pin-actuating member, and a link for connecting the said member to the locking-pin, said link having a hook portion at its lower end to receive and engage with the eye of the pin, the smallest over-all dimension of the hook portion being greater than any dimension of the eye, and the end of the hook portion being extended downwardly to such extent that the hook and pin can be connected and disconnected only by a pivotal movement of i the link with relation to the eye of the pin as a center of such movement.

6. The combination with a coupler lock block having an eye, of a link for connecting said lock block with an uncoupling lever, said link having its'lower end bent to form a loop, the end of said loop extending to lap the said link and extending a distance below the top of said loop, greater than the largest dimension of the eye of said lock block.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and afiixed my seal in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses.

STERLING H- CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

W. A. ALEXANDER,

M. C. Humans.- 

